[schalliol]

USB-C is now standard, so I’d prefer that.

 

[haoyuan]

Was there an update email this week?

 

[schalliol]

I didn’t see one

 

[newtophones07]

What DAC chip is being implemented, and will ldac be supported in the Bluetooth module.

Also is the audio input type-c, or the older micro b?

 

[schalliol]

I hope it will be type-c on all USB ports!

 

[mitsu763]

I'd like to see USB-C as well as it seems to be the standard moving forward.

 

[upsguys88]

yeah usb c would be great

 

[karloil]

Hope to see a Mini-M8 V2 as well!

 

[doctorjazz]

So, I read the updates, and using a higher and dac chip comes with a big battery penalty, and are more suitable for desktop use, being plugged in so battery use is not an issue. Which makes me wonder...in the $2-3 k daps (Sony, A&K, etc) do they still used the "lesser" dac chips and spend money upgrading everything around them to maximize sound, or the expensive "desktop" dac chips, and spend on other electronics to mitigate the battery life penalty (not that I want to spend $3k, mind you, just wondering).

 

[schalliol]

Battery technology had come a long way. At $750 regular price point, we can have both

 

[mgoodman]

Battery technology had come a long way. At $750 regular price point, we can have both

Making a good portable product is always an optimization exercise. For this product we are giving preference to loud output and ability to drive all cans comfortably (without losing the ability to drive sensitive IEMs quietly). So that means putting in two amps, really. An ultra powerful one for the large cans and a medium power one for IEMs. Both balanced, so multiply by two. So the amps are already a giant power hog as it is. And if you add a crazy red-hot DAC chip, you will have two power hogs and your battery life becomes, like 4 hours and that totally sucks. We need to have at least 6-8 hours for comfortable use on flights, etc.

Can we use a humongous battery? Yes, but that means the battery and the product itself will get significantly larger. As a result, you may not be able to hold it in your hand. Both because of the size and the weight, but also, quite likely, because of the heat generated by the mad combination of all this power-hungry circuitry. That's why we said that AK4499 is best suited for desktop DAC units, where you have adequate power and ventilation options.

HiFi-M8 V2 will sound awesome and will give you an amazing overall experience because we are spending a lot of time optimizing for experience and not necessarily for buzzwords At the end of the day, we believe in giving you a product that makes you proud because it invigorates you and improves your life with portable sound quality.

You have given us your trust. You believe in the quality of our solutions and we are not planning to disappoint. A new status report is coming by email next week.

 

[DrSheep]

Man... haven't been back for a while and I found this gem, and the pre-order price is just too good to pass up. Personally I don't need over the top TOTL design like A&K (don't get me wrong, I am a fan), so as long as it has an AK449x DAC and keep the S/N low, I will be a happy camper.

 

[schalliol]

I’ve been pretty much thinking the same thing. Haven’t picked up and new headphone gear in awhile. The M8 I have does the In fine but not amazingly well. Hopefully this will!

 

[haoyuan]

What are the likelihood of bypassing the amp stage and output signal directly from the balanced DAC into an external balanced amp for future proofing?

 

[schalliol]

I'm fine with keeping the best DAC and best amp possible and not worry about going in and out. If anything, the DAC seems to be the one at risk for future-proofing. An amazing amp should be persistently good.